CyanogenMod to encrypt text messages by default

More than 10 million Android users will soon have their text messages encrypted by default.

The latest update of the Android operating system CyanogenMod will have SMS-encrypting app TextSecure embedded into it.

Considering the popularity of CyanogenMod, the move is expected to dramatically increase the proportion of text messages which are free from the prying eyes of third parties.

All messages sent and received from phones utilising TextSecure will automatically be encrypted. If either the sender or recipient does not have TextSecure installed, the message will revert back to a normal text message.

In an interview with pcpro.co.uk, TextSecure inventor Moxie Marlinspike was keen to point out how the partnership will make it so much easier to encrypt text messages.

He said: “There’s no visible difference. Nothing at all changes for the user and the entire process is completely transparent. The user doesn’t have to initiate a key exchange and wait for a round trip to complete, or know that the recipient is ‘online’.

“They simply send a message and it’s sent immediately. Everything works just like the normal asynchronous SMS experience, even if the recipient doesn’t have their device on.”

It is possible to download TextSecure on iOS and Android, regardless of whether you have CyanogenMod installed.